Specializing in all the new Japanese confectionery releases. Keep checking back here for product reviews on such popular brands as Pocky, Pringles, Doritos, Hi Chew, Puccho and more. We want to hear all of your opinions on the newest Japanese candy too!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Yet another wild and wacky flavor from the good people at Pepsi, Japan. Just when we thought the recent Pepsi Energy Cola was going to be it for summer releases, they threw us a curve ball. The Caribbean Gold name is used in a year when the popular Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides was released in Japan. So to keep with that theme, Pepsi dug down deep in the fruit charts to find White Sapote (Casimiroa edulis) which is native to Central America and has been known to cause drowsiness. I suppose the caffeine in this cola will counter that claim. The flavor of Sapote is very unique so many describe it as a cross between mango, persimmon, peach, pear, and vanilla. Oh boy, this should be an interesting test.

I cracked the seal with a nice loud pop and within seconds hundreds of small yellow/gold bubbles were rushing towards the neck of the bottle. Pouring it on ice created a lovely, refreshing looking beverage. There was a definite fruity fragrance to it with some ginger overtones. Cola was the last thing I smelled. Once the foamy head on the Pepsi subsided I raised the glass.

Seconds after the Pepsi was poured on ice. Notice the lovely gold bubbles.

The taste surprised me. Having just tried the Pepsi Energy Cola for the first time weeks ago I knew I had discovered its mate. Though not as strong as that aforementioned Pepsi, this one contains the same energy drink taste you would expect in a smaller, hipper, and expensive steel can. I suppose if I had to identify a fruit flavor it would be closest to peach, but hardly. Come to think of it this really tastes like Guarana which is a small fruit the size of a coffee bean. In Hokkaido, where I am located, Guarana cola is very popular and there are a few different brands. I was not expecting this at all but in no way am I disappointed.

This is a very refreshing drink which is ideal for summer. It would probably mix well with alcohol if you like to experiment with cocktails. Pepsi White Sapote is quite sweet and contains 47 Calories per 100 mL. This is a 490 mL PET bottle and would be a perfect addition to any Pepsi bottle collection.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

I couldn't help to find this new edition to the Meiji Chocolate Stick line-up. I mean, the package was practically glowing on the store shelf! The last yellow lemon flavored chocolate I had tried was the Kit Kat from a few years back and I loved that one. This one looked very promising since it contained 26% real lemon juice. Also, I figure Meiji makes the tastiest mass-produced chocolate in all of Japan.

This flavor is the fifth in a series of chocolate sticks by Meiji. Previous tastes included: Earl Grey Tea, Cinnamon, Feel Mint, and 72% Cacao. We list all of them HERE if you are interested. All boxes from this series are the same size (11 x 7 x 2 cm) and each contain 6 foil wrapped sticks that measure 8 cm.

Simple style with thin channel design on one side

As soon as the chocolate is removed from the foil there is a very pleasant and strong smell of lemon. This is a white chocolate based product so it is more delicate than standard milk and bitter chocolate. It is very easy to melt the chocolate with your fingers so it is best to be popped into your mouth immediately.

The taste hit me right away. Plenty of lovely, sour lemon flavor escaped as the chocolate explored my entire mouth. You really don't need to chew this as the heat of your mouth will melt it quickly. One stick contains 30 Calories so there is plenty of sweetness too and that really goes well to balance the sour lemon juice that is contained inside the chocolate. I really needed more than one stick because these were just delicious.

Try Meiji chocolate in many forms. We carry the classic Choco Baby and Kinoko No Yama too. All of the new release chocolate we offer as a best before date of at least 6 months. In summer months it is best to put your chocolate in the refrigerator for an hour upon its arrival just to firm it up so it easier to handle.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Morinaga has been making Hi Chew (ハイチュウ：Hai Chuu）since 1975. This candy is usually fruit flavored, chewy, and rectangular in shape. Of late, the long Hi Chew ropes have been becoming increasingly popular. These are long and stretchy candy sticks that are about the diameter of a pencil. Kids (and even adults like me) enjoy twisting and reshaping the candy while breaking off whatever portion is needed for a quick chew.

Well, just this month a new Hi Chew product called Henshin (へんしん) meaning transforming, became available which offers two flavors within the same pack. The twist is (no pun intended) that when the two flavors are mixed in your mouth a new flavor is formed. I decided to test it out for myself and see how accurate the taste would be.

I went with the latter mixture since I thought it would be impossible to get a soda flavor out of two fruit flavors. When I tore the foil wrap open I was greeted by two thin, approximately 15 cm candy sticks, one yellow (banana) and one orange (orange - duh!) The sticks must be produced on the same manufacturing line because they are melded together with a seam. Pulling them apart is easy and clean however some of the orange transferred to the banana stick.

This product is very pliable and stretchy. I can see how kids would have a lot of fun with it. Braiding the colorful sticks or making shapes would be a hit. Or even stretching them to double the length is possible.

Anyhow, I tried a small piece of each flavor in succession and found the flavors extremely accurate. Then I broke off a piece of each to combine in my mouth. They were chewed up real good to create the mystery flavor. I was surprised how much this tasted like Japanese White Soda ( ラムネ：Ramune) and felt there may have even been the slightest carbonation feeling in my mouth. Perhaps I was imagining that due to the lovely soda flavor.

What is really neat is that a mega-mystery flavor (energy drink) can be created by combining banana, strawberry, and orange. Note that you will need to get 1 pack of each to do this.

Although I do not eat Hi Chew on a regular basis I found this creation very interesting and tasty. If you are tired of regular products such as Starburst and Jolly Rancher I recommend trying Hi Chew from Japan. At napaJapan we always stock at least a dozen fresh flavors and varieties.